Machine-gun



R. M. VIcLAIN AND W. M. QUICK.

MACHINE GUN.

` APPLICATION FILED JUNE I, 1917. 1,375,653.

Apr. 19, 1921. SHEETS-SHEET l.

dillo/we ya" R. IVIl IVIcLAIN AND W. M. QUICK. MACHINE GUN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I, |917. 1,3?553. Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT M. MQLAIN AND WILLIAM M. QUICK, or EIUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNORS,

RY DIRECT AND MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To THE COMPANY, A CORPORATION or ALABAMA.

AQUICK-ZILIOLAIZN' MACHINE GUN MACHINE-GUN b'ama, have invented certain new and useful- Improvements in Machine-Guns; and wedo hereby declare the following to be-a full,

clear, and exact description of the Jinvention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make'and use the same.. j

This invention is a gun of the rapid fire .type designed more particularly' for use by mobile troops, lalthough the invention is equally adapted for employment in connection with guns of larger caliber, such as are used in fortications.

In practice, rapid fire guns and field guns are supplied with fixed ammunition; that is to say, the projectile or shell is mounted in its cartridge shell containing the explosive or gas forming mixture, such as powder, and a percussion cap carried by the cartridge shell. This type of ammunition is designed to facilitate the work of the attendants in the loading and firing of the gun. Ammu- .nition of this class is expensive to manufacture, not only as to materials, but in the time and labor involved. Such ammunition is also bulky, of great weight, and has the further disadvantage of being dangerous. to handle and transport. Moreover, in rapid re guns using rifle cartridges, it is necessary that the cartridges be properly fed into the machine to be dischar ed, 'and this feeding operation requires t e services of at tendants in loading the belts or cartridges,

' or in attending a part of the device for feed.

ing the gun.

A purpose of this inventlon is to over- `come the many objections relative to guns having ammunition of the fixed or separated' types and to thereby provide an effective arm which will be safe to operate. and which .will not re uire the services of vso many attendants uring the feeding and firing of the gun.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gun wherein the projectiles may be automatically fed to the barrel for discharge therefrom by an explosion in the breech of Specification of L'ettersPatent. a Patented Apr.' 19, y1921-.

'Application'nled Julie 1, 191.7.v Serial No. 172,253.

the gun due to the ignition lof a combustible 'substance formed of an explosive aeriform iuid,'thereby eliminating the weight of the loaded cartrldge shell for rapid vfire guns or field guns, or the weight and the handling of the explosive charge of the larger caliber A further aim of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient gas gun which can be automatically fired in different directions,

vthe gun being positive in action and pow` erful, as well as employing an explosive which is comparatively smokeless.

VOther objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying draw- .l ings, wherein one embodiment of the invention is disclosed. It it to be understood however, that the construction set forth in the drawings is for the urposes of illustration only, and not as de ning the limits of the invention, the scope of the invention being determined by thev appended claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through the gun disclosing an internal combustion engine,k a barrel, and a projectile feeding mechanism.

Fig. 2.is an enlarged detail sectional view through the feeding mechanism of the gun.

. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view disclosing the feeding mechanism.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view ofthe loading sleeve.

Fig. 5 is anenlarged detail view of the means for effecting pivotal movement of the gun upon its support.

The gun comprises a barrel, associated with which is an internal combustion engine, or any equivalenttherefor, and projectile feeding instrumentalities automatically operated by the movement of the engine to feed projectiles successively to the barrel after each explosion of the combus-` tible mixture, and preferably at the commencement of the intake stroke ofthe engine, the explosion of the engine dischargmg the projectile which is positioned at the breech end of the barrel. The gun is mounted in any suitable manner for universal firing, and mechanism. is .employed whereby the operationy of the engine may-be utilized i to effect an-automatic oscillatory movement of the run so that the barrel may discharge its projectiles successively in various directions.

VThe gun may be mounted upon any suit-l lable support, such as a tripodindicated at plate serves to support any suitablemecha-A nism for changing the angle of iring of the.

gun, such for example, as a sector gear 5 pivotally mountedat 6 uponsupports 7, the gear being moved to various positions by means of a worm 8 rotatable by manually controlled means 9'. Mounted above the sector gear 5 is the breech end of the gun, which is formed in a casting 10. This casting may have aircooling vanes 11, or any equivalent means for cooling the engine. The explosive chamber of the engine is indicated at 12, and shown formed within the casting 10. Within thischamber there is shown a piston 13 having a piston rod 14 which is connected to a wheel 15 mounted within' a circular portion 16 of the casing. This portion of the casing may be provided with a handle 17 for manually controlling the fire of projectiles through the gun barrel 18. The A,engine may be of any approved type or form, and may rbe provided with a magneto 19 and the usual timing j. mechanism and carbureter, not shown.

The casting 10 may have a plate 2O secured thereto by any suitable means, and this plate may Serve to mount a hopper 21, or anyv other suitable feeding device. The

`plate 2O is provided-with an aperture 22,

which registers with a passage 23 formed in the casting 10, said assage being controlled; by a projectile fee ing element shown in the form of a rotatable sleeve 24, having a passage 23a registering with the passage 23. This sleeve is shown provided with a 'collar 25 near its upper end, which is engaged by the plate 20 to preclude the upward movement of the sleeve out of the casting 10. The sleeve. is preferabl provided with an opening registering wit the passage 23 of the casting, said opening leading in from the side of the sleeve to discharge projectiles through the bottom of the sleeve indicated at 26. Near the` lower end 26 of the sleeve, there may be provided a movable trip 27 toen age projectiles moving toward the barrel. is preferably' provided with resilient means indicated at 28 to maintain the sleeve in a predetermined position, so that its passage will not -register with the passage 23 'through the casting 10, 'thereby shutting off clude the movement of the projectiles 33 he upper end of the sleeve 24 any escape of gases from the chamber 12 through the end 26 of the sleeve, and thence out'through the passage 23 of the casting.

The loading operation of the gun is preferably controlled automatically by the movementjof the engine, although'it is obvious it can be manually controlled. The loading sleeve being maintained in a -predetermined closed position by its resilient means 28, may be moved to its opened position`by suitable means, such as the-control rod 29, which is shown connected with an arm 30 extending from the sleeve 24, Said rod 29 being shown guided in its movement by a guide block 31. The rod is capable of reciprocating movements, and lmay be reciprocated byva cam-32 carried by the magneto 19, or by any other part of the engine mechanism, whereby the loading sleeve 24 may be moved to its opened position against the action of the spring 28 at a predetermined interval of the movement of the engine. It is preferred that this loading operation through the sleeve to the barrel of. the gun be effected at the commencement of the intake stroke of the engine, whereby such action of the engine will serve to draw a projectile indicated at33 past its trip 27 into that portion of the gun between vthe barrel 18 and the explosion chamber l2 of 95 the engine. Such portion may be indicated' as the breech of the gun, and is shown at 34. j It is preferred to provide the breech end 34 of the gun'with suitable means to prefrom the firing position desired within the gun. To accomplish this purpose, there may be, provided suitable retaining' means, such as the expansible rings 35, 36, the ring 35 being interposed between the chamber 12, 105 and the space 37 to be occupied by the projectile 33, and thereby limit the movement of the projectile 33 toward lth/e chamber 12 during the suction stroke of 'the engine. The ring`35 may be of such diameter as toillO preclude the passage 0f a projectile'through the same. The ring 36, however, is preferably of' adiameter which will permit of the passage of the projectile33 through the ring when sufficient force is generated by an Y By this arrangement, the feeding of the vprojectiles to the firing position within the gun is automatically controlled'by the action ofl 1,25 the' engine, and`the eXplosion of the combustible mixture in the chamber- 12 serves to force the projectile in the space'37 from the gun and through the barrel 18, after which the further movement of the engine 'space 37. The valve 47 is shown comprising a cylindrical body portion 48. rotatably lmounted in the casting 10 transversely. of

the discharge passage from the engine. The valve is shown having a solid face 49 and a perforated face 50 whereby communication etween the chamber 12 of the engine vand the chamber 37 of the breach may be madeV or broken as desired. To rotate the Valve into its desired position, a handle 51 may be provided so that the engine may be operated without discharging projectiles from the barreLand thereby cutting olf the discharge of .gases through the barrel of the gun. When this condition exists, the exhaust gas from the engine is dlscharged througha suitable exhaust valve 52 instead of through thebarrel 18 of the gun.

The chamber 12 may be provided with the usual intake port 38 and with a spark plug 39, or any equivalent structure.

A further feature of the invention resides in the automatically operating means to effect anA oscillatory movement of the4 gun on its support 1. This may be effected by any suitable' means, one form of which is shown as a telescopic shaft 40 having a pinion 41, which engages a gear 42 of the engine mechanism to transmit motion to the shaft 40. One end of the shaft may extend through the plate 3 of the support, if desired, and

terminate in a crank arm 43. This crank arm may be connected to the stationary base plate 2by means of a link 44, which is pivoted at 45 to the base plate 2, and pivoted at 46 to the crank arm 43. B this arrangement, the rotation of the s aft 40 by the movement of the engine, will serve to effect an oscillatory movementof the .gun and thereby permit thelgun to lire projectiles automatically in various directions.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new,1s:-

1. A gun comprismg a barrel, an internal combustion engine having its explosive chamber opening into one end of the barrel, and projectile feeding instrumentalities operable automatically by the movement of the engine to supply projectiles successively t0 the barrel to be discharged through4 the barrel by explosionsI in the combustion chamber of the engine.

2. A un comprlsing a barrel, an internal com ustion engine having its explosive chamber opening into one end of the barrel, projectile feeding instrumentalities'op- .erable automatically by the movement of the engine to supply projectiles to the barrel to be discharged therefrom by explosions' in the engine chambera s pport for pivotally mounting the gun, and means operated by the engine to automatically move the gun on its pivot. 3. A gun comprising a barrel, anY internal com ustionengine having its explosive chamber opening into one end of the barrel whereby the force of the explosion may be expended through the barrel, -means to supply projectiles to the barrel to be discharged therefrom by explosions in the engine chamber, a support for pivotally mounting'the gun to permit lof substantially universal movements of the gun on said support, Aand means operated by the engine to automati- 8 0 cally effect an oscillatory movement of the gun. 4. A gun comprising a barrel, an internal combustion engine in coperative relation to the barrel, a support for pivotallyl 85 mounting the gun provided with a base plate, and a shaft rotatable bythe engine and having' means of connectlon with the base plate for effecting pivotal movement of the gun on Iits support. ,i 'g 90 5. A gun comprising 4a barrel, an internal combustion engine4 coperating therewith, a support for pivotally mounting the gun, said support having'a stationary base plate and a movable wear plate coperating with the vbase plate, a shaft having means to effect its rotation by the movement of the engine, said shaft'havin a bearing in said wear plate and provide with a crankarm adjacent the base plate, and means to detachably connect the crank arm with the base plate to elect an oscillatory movement of the gun during the running of the engine. 6. A n comprising a barrel, an internal combustion engine coperating therewith and having its explosive chamber opening into Vone Yend ofthe barrel, projectile retaining means positioned near one end of 'the barrel, a projectile feeding element to ply projectiles to the barrel adjacent its juncture with the explosive chamber of the 1'20 engine, means to maintain said sleeve in a predetermined position to cut off the supply of projectiles to the barrel, and a rod actuated by the movement of the engine to ef# lfect ,the movement of the` loading. vsleeve against the -action of its retaining means to supply projectiles toY thebarrel at predetermlned intervals during the operation of the engine.

8. A gun comprising a barrel, an internal combustion engine cooperating therewith, whereby the force of the explosion from the engine may be expended through the barrel, a movable loading lsleeve to supply mixture through the sleeve and to thereby' compelthe exploding gases to pass through said barrel, and means connecting a part of the engine mechanism with said sleeve to l.

actuate said sleeve to its projectile feeding position when the piston of the engine is at a predetermined position relative to said barrel for the purpose of drawing a rojectile from said sleeve to its firing'position in the barrel.

9. -A gun comprisinga barrel,-an internal combustion engine having its vexplosive chamber opening into one end of the barrel, projectile retaining means in the form of expansible rings positioned inthe breech' of the barrel to engage and limit the movement of ,projectiles fed to the barrel, a rotatable loading sleeve for automatically supplying projectiles'to the barrel, resilient means to retain said sleeve in a predetermined position to preclude the escape of gases through said sleeve from the explosive chamber, a cam rotatable by said engine, and a trip rod interposed between the cam and said sleeve to move the sleeve to its loading position when the piston o f the engine is at a predetermined position.

of the engine.

11. A gun comprising a barrel, an internal combustion engine in coperative relation thereto and adapted to expendI the force of the explosion of the engine through said barrel, means tol supply projectiles to the barrel, and means to cut off the communication between the engine and barrel, said means permitting of the force of the explosion to be discharged otherwise than through the barrel of the gun.

In testimony whereof we ailix our signatures.

ROBERT M. MCLAIN.

WILLIAM M. QUICK.

' supply projectiles successively to the barrel at the commencement of theintake stroke 

